schlafly

Thanks for the tips on connecting this to my music, but they are all impractical. I am not going to buy a new video card or an Apple TV or a new ipod. Those all cost almost as much as this receiver. Wifi chips cost about 50 cents. There ought to be some dirt cheap wifi-to-rca option or something like that.

Jaxidian

1) Does this do analog-to-digital conversion? In other words, can I hook up my Wii's analog video to this and have the video go to my TV via HDMI?

2) Does this have up-conversion? In other words, can I play a 480p DVD and get it enhanced (yes, I know it won't be truly HD - this is more of a ghetto-enhanced) to 720p or 1080p? The up-conversion unit in my TV sucks.

***EDIT***
I just answered my own questions thanks to the avsforum thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1334369#D1

cenotaph

Oh My Fruitful Garden you're still whining about analog. give me one good reason you'd want analog inputs on a DIGITAL A/V RECEIVER FOR HOME THEATER. just one. it's time to leave the 80s behind. analog is dead.

jnsgardner

I got one the last time it came available. It came quickly and in a expected box. $249 at Best Buy yesterday, so $149 is a steal. I'm old fashioned. The wife unit won't allow extra speakers beyond what was usual in the '70's. 5.1..7.1...I'm 2.0. and will be even when my wife relents for a...fill in the blanks. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but the price is unbeatable and it does the job of providing sound and pictures in a fashion I doubt you could tell the difference from a $ 400 unit.

JoeCool1701

For those of you confused about exactly what this black box of goodness is:

I will try to keep this as straightforward as I can.

First, if you have no clue what a receiver is I would not recommend buying this.

That being said, this is in essence an amplifier, an AM/FM reciever, and a way to connect multiple audio/video devices (vcr, blu ray, dvd, cd, mp3 player...) to one device.

Alone this does not make sound, nor will it turn an analog signal into a digital signal(RCA into HDMI). It merely powers speakers (the unit does not come with speakers) and you can change the "channel" (or source) on this box and everything you have hooked up to it will work on one channel on your television. (one device at a time)

This is great if you have more devices than your television has inputs. Also, this will allow you to use speakers that are far superior to those in any television.

Home theater speakers can be found at any multimedia store such as Best Buy. The volume control on the receiver will only affect the volume of external speakers and not your television.

Any device that has a headphone jack or other audio output can be connected to this device if you buy the proper cable.

HDMI carries audio and video on the same cable so any HDMI device will run sound and picture without the need for RCA or optical audio cables.

Aside from these basics research any further questions using google or the Denon website. While technology has advanced considerably in the last 80 years the principles have not.

To that end remember that if you connect both analog (RCA - Red, White, and Yellow) and digital (HDMI, optical, etc...)devices, you must have identical cables running to your TV in order for all the devices to be displayed.

Nothing about setting this up should be difficult just time consuming. If something you have connected doesn't make sound or has no picture check the placement of your cables. Also remember to hook up both audio and video cables.

speedmarker

schlafly wrote:Thanks for the tips on connecting this to my music, but they are all impractical. I am not going to buy a new video card or an Apple TV or a new ipod. Those all cost almost as much as this receiver. Wifi chips cost about 50 cents. There ought to be some dirt cheap wifi-to-rca option or something like that.

See if this is what you are looking for http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10827&cs_id=1082704&p_id=7364&seq=1&format=2

KATANARYDA

I bought this last time for $10 more. Very happy with it. I also bought Energy Take 5 pack from "the egg" for $150. No sub, but that's ok. The clarity of sound this Denon puts out is outstanding. My BluRay movies' audio "pops" now.

walpoledan

I have an older, higher end Denon AVR (2009-ish). Things that this doesn't have that I think are important to think about but not necessarily deal breakers:

- Audyssey: automatically equalize and level set all the speakers using an in room microphone. Worth it? Was to me but definitely gets you into a higher price device.

- HDMI Passthrough: Pass the HDMI signal through when the AVR is *off*. Mine doesn't have this. I programmed my remote so that any time the TV is on the AVR is on (because it sounds so *damn* good) but some folks might not want to do that.

If those two things don't matter to you this is a great deal for some great entry-level sound.

5h1th34d

- Audyssey: automatically equalize and level set all the speakers using an in room microphone. Worth it? Was to me but definitely gets you into a higher price device.

I'd settle for config menus that can be displayed on the TV attached to your HT. I have a 2003 Yamaha receiver that works fine but on those rare occasions you need to setup speaker volumes etc the tiny LED display and cumbersome menu system run from the remote really are annoying.

walpoledan

fertilizer wrote:I'd settle for config menus that can be displayed on the TV attached to your HT. I have a 2003 Yamaha receiver that works fine but on those rare occasions you need to setup speaker volumes etc the tiny LED display and cumbersome menu system run from the remote really are annoying.

Perhaps you misunderstand Audyssey? It's an automatic setup routine run by the receiver. It uses a microphone and generates tones from each speaker in turn. It can sample multiple locations in the room. It then sets the individual speaker levels and equalization that the receiver uses for subsequent playback. It's a set and forget thing (unless you change your room acoustics or speakers or something). Takes maybe 10 minutes to run and you want to make sure your dog is outside ;'). Some think that manual setup can be better (and perhaps for some it can) but for me this has been a great feature.

Also, I think that this model has a full HD OSD, no tiny LCD display needed if you don't want it.

And to be clear, this 1312 does not have Audyssey... and it's something I'd miss.

dcheesi

I looked at this one the last time it came up (for $10 more IIRC), but after talking to people on various forums I was convinced to step up to the 1612 instead. It has the same amplifier section, but adds a better digital/pre-pro section (DSP, DACs, etc.). The real killer app for the 1612 is the automatic setup w/ Audyssey MultiEQ; not only is setup easier, but the sound quality is just amazing with a precisely calibrated audio system (especially for movies).

Check out the deals for the 1612 right now, some places have had it on sale recently.

FallenAnjel

My neighbor was throwing out a Technics receiver because it was "broken". It only needed a .91 cent fuse.

Win.

~~Fallen Anjel
www.facebook.com/gtdphoto
www.facebook.com/gtdenterprisesinc
~My body is a cage. My mind holds the key. (Except I lost the key...)
~I've worked too hard for my illusions just to throw them all away.

rlp518

So..you can't connect a turntable to this unit, correct? Also, I don't see inputs on the picture of the back of the unit for even a CD player. Could 1 or 2 of the jacks (sat/cbl) be used for a turntable or a CD player?

accessories4less

rlp518 wrote:So..you can't connect a turntable to this unit, correct? Also, I don't see inputs on the picture of the back of the unit for even a CD player. Could 1 or 2 of the jacks (sat/cbl) be used for a turntable or a CD player?

To connect a turntable you will need to buy a phono preamp. You can use any unused RCA input.

colbytitus

rkkeller wrote:I bought this at the last Woot and it has really really good sound especially for a low end receiver. It also cranks and sounds fine.

My one complaint would be if you set it up the way your supposed to with all the hdmi inputs running thru it, you will ONLY get sound from your speakers and NONE from the TV at all.

So you need to have the receiver on at all times or no sound.

I don't know if your TV has audio/video out but I connected all of my devices to the TV then ran a single HDMI & Optical cable to the receiver from the TV. (This model may only need the HDMI - mine doesn't receive sound thru HDMI)
That way I only have to turn the receiver on when I want to have surround sound.

billmarsano

JoeCool1701 wrote:For those of you confused about exactly what this black box of goodness is:

I will try to keep this as straightforward as I can.

First, if you have no clue what a receiver is I would not recommend buying this.

That being said, this is in essence an amplifier, an AM/FM reciever, and a way to connect multiple audio/video devices (vcr, blu ray, dvd, cd, mp3 player...) to one device.

Alone this does not make sound, nor will it turn an analog signal into a digital signal(RCA into HDMI). It merely powers speakers (the unit does not come with speakers) and you can change the "channel" (or source) on this box and everything you have hooked up to it will work on one channel on your television. (one device at a time)

This is great if you have more devices than your television has inputs. Also, this will allow you to use speakers that are far superior to those in any television.

Home theater speakers can be found at any multimedia store such as Best Buy. The volume control on the receiver will only affect the volume of external speakers and not your television.

Any device that has a headphone jack or other audio output can be connected to this device if you buy the proper cable.

HDMI carries audio and video on the same cable so any HDMI device will run sound and picture without the need for RCA or optical audio cables.

Aside from these basics research any further questions using google or the Denon website. While technology has advanced considerably in the last 80 years the principles have not.

To that end remember that if you connect both analog (RCA - Red, White, and Yellow) and digital (HDMI, optical, etc...)devices, you must have identical cables running to your TV in order for all the devices to be displayed.

Nothing about setting this up should be difficult just time consuming. If something you have connected doesn't make sound or has no picture check the placement of your cables. Also remember to hook up both audio and video cables.

danieloneil01

gelo48 wrote:It's been a few years since I was in the hi-fi biz (that's what it used to be called) and Denon and Yamaha were the go to boxes (unless they were serious and had some coin then it was B&K - those are monster good).

Monster good? LOL, you have been out the game for a while. Monster is snake oil.

kellygeorge

dfreema1 wrote:Im looking to get surround sound, but i notice most speaker systems inculde the whole package (speakers and receiver). Whats the advantage of buying things seperately? It seems like its hard to find speakers without a receiver.

You can find separate speakers at any large electronics retailer, including Amazon. The benefit is the option to choose which speakers you want. The "Home Theater in a Box" systems have proprietary speaker connectors, so you are stuck with those speakers. The other benefit is that a stand alone receive will pump out more sound and can take multiple sources in. Its a good way to future-proof your system.

accessories4less

kellygeorge wrote:You can find separate speakers at any large electronics retailer, including Amazon. The benefit is the option to choose which speakers you want. The "Home Theater in a Box" systems have proprietary speaker connectors, so you are stuck with those speakers. The other benefit is that a stand alone receive will pump out more sound and can take multiple sources in. Its a good way to future-proof your system.

This is not true. Some HTIB's do have proprietary plugs mainly from companies like LG, Sony, Panasonic.

If you buy an HTIB from the audio companies like Denon or Onkyo the speakers and receivers are 100% interchangeable. That way if you want to make any upgrades you can.

RhythmDoctor

I have an important question about the graphic overlay. Does it provide a "thermometer bar" graphic for volume level, or just OSD for setup functions? What I am looking for is a OSD graphic that appears automatically every time you change the volume level, then disappears after a few seconds - just like a TV set would do for volume level. I've been looking for this feature (overlaid over HDMI) for awhile and have not found it.

accessories4less

RhythmDoctor wrote:I have an important question about the graphic overlay. Does it provide a "thermometer bar" graphic for volume level, or just OSD for setup functions? What I am looking for is a OSD graphic that appears automatically every time you change the volume level, then disappears after a few seconds - just like a TV set would do for volume level. I've been looking for this feature (overlaid over HDMI) for awhile and have not found it.

This model supports on-screen volume level indicators.

Question: why do buyers need this feature? Volume levels are audible and not visual. Never understood the purpose of this feature.

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